Young Adult Diary Novelsself-help through literature
What sets diary novels apart from other forms of YA literature? Regardless of whether they are fiction or non-fiction, diary novels offer the reader the most personal, first-hand glimpse into the narrator’s life. Young adult diary novels are told from the first person, are fast-paced, and deal with emotions that young adult readers care about. What sets this sub-genre apart from all others is its ability to act as a “self-help” type of novel. Most diary novels deal with overcoming some kind of problem. Whether it is fitting in at a new school, like in Susan Juby’s Alice, I Think; dealing with cultural boundaries, which is discussed in Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian; or family issues, such as those discussed in Saci Lloyd’s The Carbon Diaries 2015; diary novels show readers various ways of coping with these problems and eventually conquering them.
Coping with Typical Teen Issues...
Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007)
Arnold's coping mechanism for dealing with living on the hyphen...
...drawing cartoons!
Susan Juby's Alice, I Think (2003)
Alice's coping mechanism for dealing with constant bullying and harassment...
LIFE GOALS LIST
Decide on a unique and innovative career path (to get helping professionals off my back).
Get part time job in preparation for said career path?
Increase contact with people outside of immediate family. (Not friends, necessarily, but at least superficial interaction of the “Hi, how are you?” variety with people who are not home-based learners and do not attend Teens in Transition club).
Learn to drive a car (but not our car, because I do have my nonexistent reputation to consider).
Some sort of boy-girl interaction? (Possibly best left until after high school. Maybe best left until middle age).
Go back to high school. (Leave the warmth and safety of home-based learning atmosphere. Do it to save the career and self-esteem of counselor).
...Making lists! Saci Lloyd's The Carbon Diaries 2015 (2008)
Laura's coping mechanism for dealing with her parents deteriorating marriage...
Brown Family New Year's Luxury Item List. 01/01/15
Nick Brown
Julia Brown
Laura Brown
Kim Brown
One hour of quiet time in study per evening
The car (Saab hydro-hybrid 9-50 convertible)
Keep the dirty angels up and running
Her Life Back
Archer's Omnibus on Sundays
Shiseido face and body range
24/7 access to e-pod
Inner growth
Ravi Detta to notice me (did not write this down)
...Making charts!
All of the coping mechanisms the narrators of the diaries above use give example to the young adult reader on how to deal with emotions. Reading diary novels influences the audience to write down their own ideas, emotions, and problems. Diary novels allow the reader to develop a close connection to the narrator and also give them ideas on how to find resolutions to their own issues in a creative way.
LINKS! Sherman Alexie's Homepage Susan Juby's Homepage Saci Lloyd's Homepage The video below is of Sherman Alexie discussing The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian The following video is actually the TV adaptation of Alice, I Think REFERENCES!
"AIT Ep 8." YouTube. Web. 07 Dec. 2011.
Alexie, Sherman. Sherman Alexie | The Official Sherman Alexie Website | HOME. Web. 8 Dec. 2011.
Alexie, Sherman, and Ellen Forney. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. New York: Little, Brown, 2007. Print.
Juby, Susan. Alice, I Think. New York: HarperTempest, 2003. Print.
Juby, Susan. Welcome to SusanJuby.com! Web. 08 Dec. 2011.
Young Adult Diary Novelsself-help through literature
What sets diary novels apart from other forms of YA literature?
Regardless of whether they are fiction or non-fiction, diary novels offer the reader the most personal, first-hand glimpse into the narrator’s life. Young adult diary novels are told from the first person, are fast-paced, and deal with emotions that young adult readers care about. What sets this sub-genre apart from all others is its ability to act as a “self-help” type of novel. Most diary novels deal with overcoming some kind of problem. Whether it is fitting in at a new school, like in Susan Juby’s Alice, I Think; dealing with cultural boundaries, which is discussed in Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian; or family issues, such as those discussed in Saci Lloyd’s The Carbon Diaries 2015; diary novels show readers various ways of coping with these problems and eventually conquering them.
Coping with Typical Teen Issues...
Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007)
Arnold's coping mechanism for dealing with living on the hyphen...
Susan Juby's Alice, I Think (2003)
LIFE GOALS LIST
...Making lists!
Saci Lloyd's The Carbon Diaries 2015 (2008)
Laura's coping mechanism for dealing with her parents deteriorating marriage...
All of the coping mechanisms the narrators of the diaries above use give example to the young adult reader on how to deal with emotions. Reading diary novels influences the audience to write down their own ideas, emotions, and problems. Diary novels allow the reader to develop a close connection to the narrator and also give them ideas on how to find resolutions to their own issues in a creative way.
LINKS!
Sherman Alexie's Homepage
Susan Juby's Homepage
Saci Lloyd's Homepage
The video below is of Sherman Alexie discussing The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
The following video is actually the TV adaptation of Alice, I Think
REFERENCES!
"AIT Ep 8." YouTube. Web. 07 Dec. 2011.
Alexie, Sherman. Sherman Alexie | The Official Sherman Alexie Website | HOME. Web. 8 Dec. 2011.
Alexie, Sherman, and Ellen Forney. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. New York: Little, Brown, 2007. Print.
Juby, Susan. Alice, I Think. New York: HarperTempest, 2003. Print.
Juby, Susan. Welcome to SusanJuby.com! Web. 08 Dec. 2011.
Lloyd, Saci. "This Week." Saci Lloyd Hompage. Artisteer, 2010. Web. 08 Dec. 2011.
Lloyd, Saci. The Carbon Diaries 2015. New York: Holiday House, 2008. Print.
"Sherman Alexie Speaks." YouTube. Web. 07 Dec. 2011.